One Lifetime's Not Enough
by Midori Sour
Summary: Wesley rescues a girl from a frightening monster, and the crew of the Enterprise finds that all is not as it seems. Wesley/OC. WIP
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek. Wish I owned Wesley, though._

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**One Lifetime's Not Enough**  
Chapter 1  
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**Oracle's Cavern, Chara III**  
She sat quietly, patiently waiting. She was always waiting. She had waited for centuries, and would wait centuries more if need be.

The oracle sat before her, brow wrinkled in heavy concentration. The oracle was the one thing that gave her hope, slim though that hope was. After all, she was bound her with it, for what was starting to look like eternity. It rarely spoke. Not very good company, come to think of it. She sighed. The last time it had spoken, it told her the riddle of her freedom:

_In this cavern shall you remain_  
_Until the a man you've never seen  
__Rescues you from peril  
__That's never been._

_Then to him you shall be bound_  
_Until his dying hour._

_At his side, learn strength and skill,_

_And wise use of your power._

That was it. The only way she could ever get out was to have someone she'd never met save her life. Well, the "man she'd never seen" part shouldn't be too hard. After all, she'd been trapped in this cavern for three hundred years. Everyone she'd known before was long dead by now. Maybe not the elves. But even if she was freed, she'd never see them again. She's have to stick with the stranger.

The oracle extended its hand. Slowly, it held up five fingers. Five? Hmm. No, she didn't see any...

"Go fish."

---

**Captain's log, star date 44299.6**  
We have been sent to Chara III, an M-class planet orbiting the star Chara, to retrieve a probe that fell into that world's atmosphere. It poses no threat to the local life forms, but would be a breach of the Prime Directive as the civilizations on Chara III pre-industrial. The world is unique in that there are at least five races of sentient beings. The most wide-spread population is physiologically identical to the humans of Earth. This will make it easy for a small away team to blend in and recover our lost probe.

The probe itself fell on the largest of the three continents, in a city near the middle of the continent. Luckily, the city appears to have been deserted long before the probe fell. Commander Riker will lead the away team. We should arrive in three days.

---

**NCC-1701-D, Enterprise, bridge**  
Captain Picard strode briskly out of his ready room. "Number One, have you decided what the make-up of your away team will be?"

"Yes, sir," Riker said. "I'd like to bring Data, Mr. Barclay, and Mr. Crusher. It will be his last chance for an away mission before he heads off to the academy."

"Very good. Make it so," said the captain. He looked over at Wesley, where he sat at Ops. The ensign would be leaving them in less than a week. Picard still remembered his own time at the academy with chagrin. He'd changed a lot since then; becoming less reckless, though no less brave and daring. In part, it was due to age and experience. _In short, I grew up,_ he thought wryly. Wesley was not nearly as reckless as Picard had been at that age. Wesley would never have gotten involved with the Nausicaans as Picard had. _Or maybe he would. He hasn't had a lot of experience with companions of his own age, after all._

---

Wesley wasn't sure whether to be excited or not. Going on the away mission was an honor, but they'd have to blend in with the population. That meant medieval costumes, and those could be uncomfortable. From what he recalled, there was a piece on the male costume called _a fishpiece? No, codpiece. Just looks silly._

"Data, Wesley, you're with me." Commander Riker's voice cut through his thoughts.

"Aye, sir." Wesley followed Commander Riker to the turbolift. Data would use the replicator to create costumes for each of them. _Wonder what I'll be wearing? Hope it's not _too_ embarrassing. But, not many people get to visit Chara III, so it doesn't matter._ He wasn't sure whether to hope to meet someone or not. And which race?

There were the humans. That race was familiar to point of being dull. Then, there was a race that looked a little like Vulcans. At least, their ears were pointed. They were taller, though. And all of them were beautiful. The file on Chara III called them _nostale_, and went on to say that the race was broken into two main groupings: the ones who liked the humans _(nilmenostale)_, and the ones who killed any human they came across _(mornanostale)_. Actually, a lot like Vulcans and Romulans, except that the two groups were of the same race. Then there were the shorter ones. They were strong, though -- a lot stronger than the humans. The tallest of them was still under five feet tall. They stayed mostly in the high mountains, living in caves. Another group that stayed in the mountains were also short, but had grey skin an dfang-like teeth. They were sentient, but not very intelligent. Very hostile. They often formed alliances with the mornanostale. The last sentient race that the file listed was a reptilian race native to another continent. There wasn't much chance of running into one of them.

"Commander Riker, what do we do if we run into someone?"

"Well, if it's one of the friendly people, they shouldn't see anything wrong with us. Even Data can be explained as a traveler from far away. That's rare, but not unheard of. If it's something hostile, we try to get out of sight, so we can transport to safety. And we'll have phasers; it's a last resort, but some of the beings on Chara III seem to have abilities that mimic phaser blasts. Don't worry about it too much, Wes. The city we're going to has been deserted for almost three hundred years."

Wesley thought about that. "Sir, why was the town deserted? The file didn't say anything."

"We don't know. It was probably disease, or maybe the water source dried up. Might even have been his by those grey guys. Whatever it was, it was three hundred years ago. It won't have any effect on our mission."

---

**Oracle's Cavern, Chara III**  
Was the cavern whispering? Or was she finally going insane, trapped with that lifeless oracle?

Maybe lifeless was unfair. It couldn't help the fact that its tongue was gone. Whenever it had a prophecy to deliver, something else took hold of it. Besides, its story was as tragic as her own.

Centuries earlier, before even she had been born, the oracle had been a normal human girl. At the age of twelve, the guardian priests had sought her out, taking her from her family and the only life she'd ever known. She was brought to this cavern, left with the old oracle, and starved. Starved until her soul was barely connected to her body, and the spirit of the oracle could leave its old host and take her over. Her soul had been sent on to the next world, and the empty shell of the old oracle taken away. But her body remained, delivering the prophecies that the guardian priests recorded, and protected. She had been the oracle for almost a thousand years, and would likely remain the oracle for a thousand more.

Yes, she definitely felt sorry for the oracle, but... "No fair using your powers during game time, got it?"

The oracle nodded slowly, then pointed to the far wall of the cavern. She looked.

The cavern wasn't whispering, but there _were_ faint scraping sounds coming from the wall the oracle had indicated. This was exciting! Three centuries of bland, boring repetetive days, days where she couldn't even see the sun, and now two new things in the past month! She might be able to handle her captivity, after all.

First, almost a whole month ago, a strange machine came crashing through the roof of the cavern. It had blinking lights, and antennae. It had provided two weeks of fun as she reduced it to its base components. Then, she took another week to learn how to reduce those to the basic elements. Of course, she had no idea what the machine was _for,_ but it was nice when new toys dropped from the sky.

Now, the scraping at the cavern wall. It sounded like someone was trying to break in. She knew that no one from her side of the old war would come _near_ this cavern, so it must be the enemy.

"You know what, oracle? I think he's going to try and kill me."

The oracle nodded again.

A small hole opened in the wall. Now she could see the tools that the digger was using. _Rusted pick. How cliché._ Soon he'd break through. "I wonder if they still remember me? After all, it's been a while since I saw them. Damn lizards."

The oracle made a strange grimace. A smile? _I guess it's forgotten how to smile..._

"Well, oracle, he'll find me a little different from last time."

The oracle gave her a _look_. A look that said _no shit, genius. You weren't immortal when his ancestors knew you._ Great. It had learned sarcasm from her.

The wall crumbled, and a tall, reptilian man lept into the cavern. His skin was an opalescent black, and his eyes glowed green. He advanced, slowly, brandishing his pick threateningly. He hissed at her in a strange language.

That's when the cavern's ceiling fell in.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Cool! Look like people are reading this! Okay, I'm going to be keeping chapters kind of short (short more frequent updates!) so expect one every couple days or so. Oh, and concrit is _always_ appreciated. Love ya!

_Disclaimer: I still don't own Star Trek. I'm not making money from this. I still love Wesley._

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**One Lifetime's Not Enough**  
Chapter 2  
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**Chara III, surface**  
"Alright. The longer we're down here, the greater the risk of running into a native. Data, Wesley, look sharp. If you _do_ see a native, try to steer clear. Let's spread out and find this probe as soon as possible. Any questions?" Riker looked over his away team. Data could certainly handle himself, but he still had some reservations about Wesley. Of course, the boy was going to the academy in a matter of days, so he should be able to handle this.

---

_'Go west, Wesley.' Ha! Like I haven't heard about a thousand variations on _that_ before._ Wesley walked out into the empty city, looking around carefully for any sign of the missing probe. He knew that he'd been assigned the least likely direction, but that was no reason not to be thorough. Besides, he might find something else of interest.

Deserted buildings loomed around him. None of the streets followed any discernable pattern; the city's layout was ideal for defense. There was scattered evidence that animals had made dens of some of the empty houses. Most of the damages in the city could be explained by time, but every now and then Wesley saw doors that had clearly been hacked through. Maybe there had been some sort of battle, and the survivors had fled.

_Hordes of mornanostale swarmed the streets, shouting their fearsome war cries. Hapless townsfolk fled before the onslaught, mothers catching up their children as they ran. Some families barricaded themselves in their homes, cowering as the enemies' axes bit into their doors. Some tried to hide, in basements and attics -- _

"Riker to Crusher." The commander's voice broke through Wesley's daydream, startling him slightly.

"Yes, sir."

"Have you found anything yet?"

"Not yet, sir." He paused, then continued, "Some of the building look like they were... well, the doors are chopped to pieces. Permission to explore further?"

Commander Riker was silent for a moment. Wesley was about to give up hope, when... "Permission granted, Mr. Crusher. Be careful, some of the buildings look hazardous. Could collapse, or the stairs could fall in. Don't take any risks."

"Yes, sir. Crusher out." Wesley looked around with new interest. Which building to explore first? He walked slowly up the street, hardly noticing his feet moving. In this city, it was easy to understand the captain's interest in archeology. Every house and every shop could hold a piece of the puzzle.

Suddenly, he realized that he's wandered into a completely new area. Looking around, he didn't recognize anything. The street he had just come from was completely unfamiliar. He was about to call up Commander Riker and Data when he noticed the temple directly ahead.

The temple was easily three stories high, with a domes roof. The front half of the dome was supported by graceful marble pillars. The back was a massive wall, covered with mosaic images. _Probably scenes from their mythology._ One figure seemed to feature in all the scenes, but time and scavengers had taken a toll. Wesley couldn't make out any details. The floor was covered in rubble, and light streamed through a hole in the center of the dome. _Huh. The wreckage looks... weird. Too jagged. I don't think it's more than a month old..._

Maybe this was where the probe had fallen! Wesley touched his Starfleet insignia, telling Commander Riker and Data what he had found as he picked his way into the temple. He walked into the beam of light, and stopped. Where he was standing, directly under the hole, the floor was clear. It looked odd, too -- newer that anything else in the city. Wesley knelt where he was, taking out his tricorder and scanning the ground. It groaned beneath his feet.

That's when the floor caved in.

---

**Chara III, Oracle's cavern  
**Wesley sat up, slightly groggy, and shook his head. He was in a cavern. About eight feet above his head was a fresh hole in the ceiling. The cavern was lit by the glowing crystal that made the walls. A shrunken figure was huddled agaist the wall to his left, and a young girl stood protectively before it. She didn't appear to be looking at him though -- _good thing, she looks angry..._

She was looking past his. Wesley looked to his right, and saw a dark figure. It shimmered in the glow from the walls, and its eyes flashed with a sickly yellow-green. It held a blade that caught the light on its wickedly sharp edge. The creature advanced, coming straight toward him. Then it passed him, ignoring his existance completely. It was attacking the girl! _Coward! She isn't even armed!_

For some reason, the girl was amused by the attack. She laughed, saying something to the figure behind her, and stepped adroitly aside. Unfortunately, the monster anticipated her move. It swung around, sweeping its tail at her and knocking her off her feet. She lay and the ground, stunned momentarily. The monster lept toward her, raising its sword high, prepared to cleave her in two.

Wesley never paused to think about it. He lifted his phaser, and shot the creature. It dropped.

The girl stood up, slowly, dusting off her robe. She looked at the creature, then kicked dirt on it. After helping the shrunken being up, she walked up to Wesley, and smiled. Then said something in a language he'd never heard before.

_I don't remember this part in the fairy tales. Hero rescues damsel, and they can't even communicate. Well, I'm not much of a hero..._ "Sorry, I didn't catch that." He smiled disarmingly. "Don't suppose you speak English?" Of course, he was learning Klingon, but wasn't confident in his skills yet. She didn't look Klingon, anyways. _Must be one of the local humans. Won't know Eng--_

"Right. Stupid of me. Just wanted to say thanks for zapping that guy, however you did it...?" She trailed off, looking at him expectantly.

_Wha..? She wants an explanation? Uh..._ "Uh... I just used my... um... I can't really tell you..." Oh, wonderful. His only excuse was that there was no way this girl should speak English. It was throwing him for a loop.

"Oh. You could tell me, but then you'd have to kill me? That's fine." She looked like she was going to continue, but her companion chose that moment to open its mouth.

It pointed at him, and croaked something. The words it used had a rhythm like poetry. Whatever it said, it made the girl look like she'd just been stunned. _I put the phaser away, right? Right._

"Um. This might sound like a kinda weird question, but just go with me, okay?" The English she used was slightly archaic. Not like Shakespeare or anything, but... different from the way other people spoke.

"Alright."

"Have I ever seen you?"

"Do you-- no. We've never met."

"Okay. And did you just save my life?"

"I... I guess I did." _Hm. I _am_ kind of heroic. Commander Riker would have done the same._ Wesley smiled, thinking of his idol.

"So, you didn't realize that that lizard wasn't really a danger to me?"

"No, I-- it wasn't? But it was about to--"

She cut him off, waving her hand imperiously. "Irrelevant. Thank you, though. It was very brave of you to get involved, especially since you thought I was in danger." She paused, chewing on her thumbnail. "I've never seen you before. You saved my life, but my life didn't need saving." She sighed. Then she looked up, and smiled at him again. "Okay. Here's the deal. I've been trapped in this cavern for a while now, and you just set me free. There's a condition, though. Call it a geas."

"Geas?" This was getting confusing.

"Yeah. It's like... Okay, so I have power, right? But I'm new to it. So I can't be allowed to just go mucking about everywhere, all willy-nilly and what have you. So I have to stick with you. My geas says that I have to stay by your side for your lifetime."

"What?!" Wesley and the girl looked up, to see Commander Riker and Data staring down through at them. Data's face was his habitual mask of polite interest, and Commander Riker was clearly surprised. The girl looked down, shuffling her feet. "Never mind. Wesley, you said it looked like the probe crashed around here. Have you located it?"

"No, sir. But I just fell into this cavern a few minutes ago."

"Understood. Data, scan the area for the probe." Data nodded his assent, and dropped into the cavern. Riker continued. "Miss, I don't suppose you've seen anything unusual?"

She made a face. "You mean, more unusual than three men clearly from another world, one of whom is a robot? Not today."

"No, this wouldn't have happened today. It would have been a few weeks ago."

"Oh. Well, nothing much. Every day is the same. There was that funky machine, though. It fell--"

"Sir!" Data walked up, interrupting. "I have scanned the area completely. While I did not locate the probe, I did discover the base elements that it was made of, in the exact quantities needed." He tilted his head slightly. "I do not know of anything on Chara III that could have reduced it in that manner."

The girl was blushing. Commander Riker turned slowly to look at her. "I don't suppose you can shed any light on this situation, miss?"

"Well, I didn't really _mean_ to do it... I was just kind of experimenting..."

Riker looked down, his shoulders shaking. "I don't suppose you can put it _back?"_

"I don't... really know how to."

Commander Riker shook his head, then suddenly laughed. "At least we don't have to worry about introducing new technology to the culture. We might as well head back." He tapped his insignia. "Riker to Enterprise. Three to beam up."

Wesley looked at the girl, who was watching them with a rather befuddled look. _Nice that she's not the one who knows everything that's going finally. Wonder what she meant, about that geas. Oh, well._ The familiar sensation of the transporter beam spread through him. It felt a little different this time, though...

The girl was starting to look slightly panicked. She reached out to them, crying "Wait!" as if her life depended on it. _Maybe she doesn't have a way to get home. She can't be native--_

Wesley's thought cut off as the away team materialized in Transporter Room 3, and he crumpled on the floor in agony.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Okay, this chapter took a bit longer to put together than the last couple. Glad I'm going with short chapters, or it would take way too long. Again, I love concrit, and would like to make my writing better, so please let me know how I could improve!

_Disclaimer: I have yet to acquire the rights to Star Trek, and I probably never will. I still have hopes for Wesley._

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**One Lifetime's Not Enough**  
Chapter Three  
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**Enterprise**  
"Medical emergency, transporter room three!" Data knelt beside Wesley, trying to determine what was wrong. There did not seem to be any physical cause for the pain. Indeed, the pain that Wesley was suffering was the only symptom he could detect. That did not make any sense, however. Humans are not subject to sudden pain without cause.

Wesley writhed on the floor. The medical team, led by Dr. Crusher, rushed into the room. Dr. Crusher rushed to her son's side, and ran a tricorder over him. "Give him a sedative. I need to run further tests," she said to her team. She put her hand on Wesley's forehead. "Don't worry, Wes, you're going to be alright."

---

**Chara III, Oracle's Cavern**  
The oracle looked at the girl, curious. It had never seen her in _this_ condition before. Sometimes she slept (mortal habits can be hard to shed), but only when she wanted to. _We do not believe she desires slumber._

When the boy of the prophecy had appeared, the oracle had been vaguely dissatisfied. After all, the girl was the only company it had. The boy's appearance changed that. He would take her away. But then he left, and she was left behind. This was just as bad; if he didn't come back, she might never wake up. The geas was unbreakable. Of course, the boy would not survive the separation. Perhaps when he died, she would waken? But, no. Even if she did, she was freed from her imprisonment here in the cavern. She would leave. And then there would be no one to teach the oracle games. It would be alone again.

---

**Enterprise, Transporter Room Three**  
Dr. Crusher was frantic. She couldn't find _anything_ wrong with Wesley. It made no sense!

"Will," she said, "did anything unusual happen on your mission?"

"Nothing that could have caused this," he said. "He did fall into a cavern, but he wasn't hurt in the fall."

"No." She sighed. "He doesn't have any injuries, he doesn't have a concussion, and his symptoms aren't consistent with anything that could result from a fall. I just can't figure this out!" She sighed again, frustrated. "Let's get him to sickbay. I can run some more tests there."

"A moment, Doctor," Data said. He turned to Will. "The girl we encountered may have some knowledge regarding this issue. She did say that she was bound to Wesley."

"That's impossible, Data. It just... I don't see how that could work!"

Data looked from Will to Beverly. "We have encountered many things that conventional wisdom would deem impossible, and many of those could cause something like this. Q, for example."

"Hmm. Do you think she might be from the Q Continuum?"

"Unknown. From the available data, I would say she is not associated with them. I do not believe any of the Q could be trapped as she said she was."

Beverly was only half paying attention. She was more concerned with finding out what was wrong with her son than a discussion on the origin of a strange girl. However, there might be a clue there. Her staff could do just as much for Wesley as she could, and although she would rather stay by her son's side...

"Will. I want to go to the planet. I have to know if there's something there that's causing this."

Will and Data stopped their conversation. Will nodded, and she stood, giving instructions to her staff as she checked to be sure she had all the instruments she would need. She stepped up on the dias, ready for transport, just as Will got permission from Captain Picard. He and Data stepped up beside her, and he gave the order to beam the three down to the surface.

---

**Chara III, Oracle's Cavern**  
The oracle looked up. Two of the men who had been here before had just shimmered into the cavern, and they brought a woman. It extended its senses. _Man. Machine. And the woman birthed the boy who stole our friend._ It looked back at its game. Red ten on black jack. Black four on red five. It would lose this game. It sighed, gathering the cards and shuffling. _We must remember not to look at the future in games of chance._

The three intruders were wandering about the cavern, looking into everything and running strange machines over all the surfaces. The woman approached, looking at the girl. She spoke. The man and the machine ran over. They looked at the girl, running their devices over her and murmuring over the results.

The oracle sighed, drawing their attention. It pointed at the girl, then pointed up. They looked confused. It pointed again, more forcefully. They still looked confused, and spoke among themselves. Fine. It would do this the hard way. Extending its senses once more, it looked deep into their minds, capturing the flavors and essences of their language. Then it carefully composed its instructions. _We wish we did not have to speak in verse. It is a most burdensome geas, and we are _not a poet. And this is most definitely not_ our native tongue._ Finally, it opened its mouth, and spoke:

_"A young man who saved a girl's life,  
From a lizard who wielded a knife,  
Soon, through pain, found  
That he was now bound  
To the girl, closer than any wife."_

The intruders looked at it in astonishment. It sighed. Well, that was only one form of verse. Perhaps another?

_"He that saved her life,  
His life is forfeit to her.  
Do not separate."_

They looked at each other, conversing more. Their tones were still puzzled, and they did not seem to understand. _We are speaking their tongue. Perhaps they do not know poetry? But, no. We took the forms from them._ It sighed. This was getting frustrating, though the memory would help long years pass a bit faster. One more.

_"The girl and we have lived here all alone,  
She taught us many interesting games.  
Encased within this cavern made of stone,  
She had been bound, forever to remain.  
There was but one way she could e'er be free:  
A man must come that she had never seen,  
And he would act, in show of bravery,  
To save her from a threat that's never been.  
Then would there be one life where once were two,  
And she must stay beside him all his life,  
When he's in danger, help to get him through  
Stay by his side in times of peace or strife.  
Now think you upon all that we have said:  
If they're apart for one day's time, he's dead."_

_There. If he dies, it will not be our fault._ The three were looking rather agitated now. The man looked at it, and spoke very slowly.

"Can we take her to Wesley?" he asked.

Wesley? Oh, that must be the thief. It sighed once more, pointed to the girl, and pointed to the sky. Were they simple?

They conferred for a moment longer, the woman's voice becoming more strident. Apparently, she didn't care about having permission. She was insisting on taking the girl now. Finally, they reached an agreement. Then, they shimmered out, taking the girl with them.

It was alone again. With the lizard-man. _He's starting to waken. Perhaps we could teach it a game!_ After all, he would never leave here. The oracle would see to that. It smiled as it laid out the cards for its favorite game. The girl had almost never wanted to play this one. The lizard-man would learn it first.

It was time for War.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Wow. I really dropped the ball on this story. Few issues with an enormous change in my life. Long story short, I quit my job, moved to another state, and went back to school. Anyway, I want to pick it up again (thanks for your recent review, Lanna Jones!). I found this bit, and decided to post a super-short chapter, just to get the ball rolling again. If there's anyone who'd like to beta for me, I could really use it! Thanks!

_Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own Star Trek. Sadness abounds._

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**One Lifetime's Not Enough**  
Chapter Four  
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**Enterprise, Sickbay**  
The girl woke up slowly. She felt groggy and she didn't know where she was. When she opened her eyes, the light sent pain searing through her head. She'd forgotten what pain was like. "Great," she muttered. "Back to the mortal coil." Opening her eyes again, she looked around.

She was on a bed, in a room that held several. People in blue uniforms moved around the room, checking on others and consulting with each other and the screens that lined the walls. The boy, the one who had saved her, was sitting on the bed beside her. He was looking at her while a red-haired woman examined him. His uniform was red.

There were two people standing to either side of her bed. They both wore yellow, and to her mind, they looked like soldiers. One of them, clearly not human, was speaking to a balding man in a low, suspicious growl.

"I do not like this, Captain."

"I agree, Mr. Worf, but the fact remains that her presence coincided with the cessation of Wesley's pain."

"That is true, sir, but I do not feel comfortable allowing her on board. We know nothing about her!"

"I am open to suggestions, providing you keep in mind that she must, for now, remain on board."

If his forehead hadn't been covered in ridges, the girl was sure he would have wrinkled it. She tuned out of their conversation. _Well, looks like I'll be here for a while._ It seemed as if the captain and Mr... Wharf? _That can't be right._ had come to an agreement. She was to have a guard at all times. She was not allowed on the bridge, or in engineering, or anywhere except her quarters, sickbay, and... ten forward? whatever that was.

She sat up.

Her action drew the attention of everyone in the area.


End file.
